Keyless lock



Feb. 22, 1966 n ETAL 3,236,078

KEYLE'SS LOCK Filed April 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 United States Patent Ofiice Patented Feb. 22, 1966 3,236,078 KEYLESS LOCK Garnet H. Eckardt, West Covina, Calif. (1007 W. Kirkwell St., Azusa, Calif.), and Lee Fink, 1999 Walnut Ave., Long Beach, Calif.

Filed Apr. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 445,465 6 Claims. (Cl. 70287) This invention relates to combination locks, and deals more particularly with a lock construction that has the purpose of deterring access not only to medicine cabinets, cash drawers, and the like, but also to lock doors to enclosures to which it is desired to prevent access, without the use of any key locks and multi-number combination locks. This invention embodies improvements over the lock disclosed in our pending application Ser. No. 334,396, filed Dec. 30, 1963.

An object of this invention is to provide a keyless lock that is released by manual manipulation of two or more release dogs in a lock that also has two or more locking dogs and embodies means for efiecting automatic return to locking position of the release dogs, thereby presenting all of the dogs in their original position, while the lock remains released. Thus, the combination of the lock is not revealed while the lock is released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a keyless lock, as above characterized, that provides both types of dogsreleasing and lockingwith integrally providing spring means, thereby simplifying the construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide the locking member, movement of which to release position is controlled by dog manipulation, with integral spring means further simplifying the construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a keyless lock of the character indicated that, with equal facility, may be formed as a lock having the characteristics of a rim lock except that it may be mounted on a wall and in operative engagement with a door, rather than on the door, or a lock of the mortise type.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above objects are realized in a construction of which all the elements are made of high-impact plastic that, due to its resilience of small-sectioned parts thereof, reduces the components to a spacer, a housing, a locking member, and a complement of releasing and locking dogs, all formed of such plastic. Special design of the locking plate where the dogs engage the same enables the releasing dogs, after movement to lock-releasing position, to return to their initial position. Thus the lock, both when locked and released, presents all of the dogs thereof in the same position, thereby concealing the combination.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, and which is based on the accompanying drawings. However, said drawings merely show, and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view in operative relation to a medicine cabinet, showing a preferred combination lock according to the present invention, the same being in door-locking position.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the lock in released position.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the lock, as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a similar view of the lock, as in FIG. 2, and showing the cabinet door partly open.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the lock in locked position, as seen from the under face of the lock body.

FIG 6 is a similar view with the lock in released position.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a release dog.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a locking dog.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a modification formed as a mortise lock.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a wall 15 in which is provided a cabinet 16 that, in the usual way, is provided with a hinged door 17, the hinge of which is not shown. The present lock is fastened to said wall 15 adjacent to the edge of the door 17 that swings open to retain the door closed or to release the same so it may be opened.

Said lock comprises, generally, a base 20, a housing 21 mounted on said base and secured, together with the base, to wall 15, as by screws 22, a locking member 2-3 slidingly mounted in said housing between a door-locking and a door-releasing position, and a plurality of releasing dogs 24 that are manually operable to release the member 23 for sliding of the same to release position, and a plurality of locking dogs 25 that have a normal release engagement with the member 23 and, when operated, lock the same.

All the elements of the lock are preferably formed of a high-impact plastic, for example, Du Ponts Delron 500, and acetal resin, or Naugatuck Chemicals Kralastic B, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin. The resins are merely examples of plastics that not only have the desired resistance to abuse and fracture, but are highly resilient when reduced to thin-walled section0.015" for example.

The base 20 is preferably metal-plated for Wear resistance, the same being generally rectangular with a face 26 to bear against the wall 15, and an opposite preferably parallel face 27 on which the housing 21 is mounted.

The housing 21 may be injection-molded as an integral member. The same is here shown as having a metalplated rectangular insert frame 28 having a rectangular opening 29. Said frame 28, except at its bottom where it .bears on the base face 27, and at one side, is enclosed by a body shell 30 that has a top wall 31 in which is provided a transverse slideway 32 which is open at 33 at one side of the housing, and at 34 at the opposite side. Said shell 30 has a side wall 35 that encloses the frame 20 at one side, and end walls 36 that enclose said frame at both ends.

The number of dogs 24 and 25 may vary. In this case, five dogs are shown, three releasing dogs 24 and two locking dogs 25, the same being arranged in line. Said dogs are guided in square holes 37a in the wall 31. Other polygonal shapes may be used.

The locking member 23 is slidingly engaged in the slideway 3-2, the fit being fairly loose to enable free sliding of said member. Said slideway comprises a flat plate 37 with stiffening ribs 38 for which accommodation is provided in the shell 31. Between its ends, the plate 37 is provided with a locking tongue 39 which is offset from the plane of plate 37, the housing wall 31 having a movement-limiting shoulder 40.

On the edge from which the tongue 39 extends through the opening 33 in the housing, there are integrally formed two spring fingers 41 that extend from the opposite ends 3 of plate 37 angularly toward an inner surface 42. These fingers bias the member 23 to the retracted position of FIGS. 2, 6 and 8 upon release of the same from the locking position of the tongue 39. The fingers 41 may be made of spring metal and permanently fastened to the ends of plate 37.

As best shown in FIGS. 9, the lock member 23, spaced according to the spacing of the holes 37a, is provided with apertures 43, each of which has end, generally square, open portions 44 and 45 connected by a narrow open portion 46'that is defined by a tongue 47 extending from one edge of the aperture; These apertures, accordingly, are U-shaped with generally square open portions 44 and 45 connected by the portion 46 that is approximately half the side dimension of the end portions.

In the present case, the open portions 44 are aligned with the holes 37a, when the member 23 is in locking position as in FIG. 5, and the open portions 45 are so aligned when this member is in release position, as in FIG. 6.

Each of the dogs 24 and 25 is provided with a square post 48 of a size to slide in holes 37a and pass through opening 44 or 45 according to the position of the member 23, as above. Each post, at its outer end, is provided with a button 49 for finger depression, and with a thin (0.015) circular spring portion 50 that, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, bears against the face 27 of the base 20 and biases the dogs to the retracted positions of FIGS. 7 and 9.

Each of the releasing dogs 24, in its post 48, is provided with a notch 51 of a height that will accommodate the tongue 47. The lower edge of each notch is defined by a sloping cam 52. In the projected position of the dog 24, the cam 52 resides in the open portion 44 of the aperture 43 and in the path of the tongue 47. Thus, so long as any one of the dogs 24 remains retracted, the member 23 cannot be released from locked position. Therefore, release can be had only if all three dogs 24 are simultaneously depressed or projected by a push on their buttons 49.

Since the shank portions 53 opposite the notches 51 of dogs 24 are narrower than the narrow aperture portion 46, the spring fingers will become operative to retract the member 23 to release position, as in FIG. 6. Since the posts 48 are now extended through the square open portion 45 of the aperture 43, when the buttons are released the springs 50 will project the dogs 24 to their initial position, i.e., the same position as the dogs 25. Since there is no bias on the locking member at this time, the same remains retracted. By pushing on the side edge 54 of the released locking member 23, the same may be restored to locking position, since the cams 52 cause retraction of the dogs 24 so the same may latch behind the tongue 47.

Each locking dog 25 has a notch 55 in its post 48 which, as shown in FIG. 9, is aligned with the tongue 47 when the dog is retracted. Thus, when the release dogs 24 are projected to release position, the locking member 23 will release, since all five dogs are in release position.

It will be clear that any dog 25 that is pushed will prevent the member 23 from retracting, even should all of the release dogs be properly pushed. Thus, the lock can be opened only if all of the dogs 24 are pushed.

In this case, the two dogs at the opposite ends of the row are locking dogs, and the three others are releasing dogs. The positions of the two types of dogs may be varied to vary the combination. Also, three locking dogs and two releasing dogs may be used. The total number of dogs may be varied also.

The dogs may be assembled in operative position by squeezing the sides of the spring portions 50 so the same may be forced through the holes 37a and the portions 44 or 45 of the apertures 43.

FIG. 12 shows a shelf 60 that is provided with a strike 61, and a door 62 on which is mounted a lock of the mortise type. Said lock has a housing 21a with 'a base 20 as previously described, and which is mounted in an-opening 63 of the door with an escutcheon plate 64 on the outer face of the door. Except that this look is substantially deeper than the lock of FIGS. 3 and 4, it may be structurally similar, with a set of releasing and locking dogs 24 and 25, as before, for controlling a release member 23. In this case, the tongue 39 of the member 23 has locking engagement with the keeper 6 1 in the same way that the earlier-described member 23 has locking engagement with the door 17. The slide member 23 is first manually slid to its locked position in which the tongue 39 is projected, as described above in connection with the earlier form of lock. While the lock is thus held in locked position by the locking dogs 25, the door 62 is moved to the closed position of FIG. 12, the tongue 39 camming its way past the resilient strike or keeper 61 and becoming caught thereby to hold the door 62 closed until retraction of the :member 23 occurs as a result of depressing all of the release buttons, as described.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a combination look,

(a) a locking member,

(b) a base member having a surface spaced beneath said member, and

(c) a complement of normally retracted l'ocking and releasing dogs interengaged with and controlling movement of said member between locking and releasing positions,

(d) each dog being integrally provided with a resilient end engaged with said surface and biasing said dogs from projected to retracted positions.

2. In a combination lock according to claim 1, each dog and its resilient end being formed of high-impact plastic resin.

3. A combination lock comprising:

(a) a locking member mounted to move between locked and released positions.

(b) at least two locking dogs that, when retracted, are normally released from the locking member and which, when manually projected, lock the locking member against movement to released position,

(c) at least two releasing dogs that are normally retracted and aligned with the locking dogs and engaged with the locking member and, when manually projected, release the latter member for movement to released position,

(d) means to automatically return the latter dogs to their initial aligned position with the locking dogs, when released, while the locking member is in released position, and

(e) a base member on which the lock is mounted,

I (f) said dog-returning means including an integral resilient end portion on each dog directed to engage against said base member to bias the dogs to their initial positions.

4. A combination lock comprising:

(a) a locking member mounted to move between locked and released positions,

(b) at least two 'locking dogs that, when retracted, are normally released from the locking member and which, when manually projected, lock the locking member against movement to released position,

(c) at least two releasing dogs that are normally retracted and aligned with the locking dogs and engaged with the locking member and, when manually projected, release the latter member for movement to released position,

(d) means to automatically return the latter dogs to their initial aligned position with the locking dogs, when released, while the locking member is in released position,

(e) a housing mounting the locking member and formed wtih a slideway to slidingly guide said member between locking and releasing positions, and

(-f) spring finger portions on the locking member adapted to engage a portion of the housing to bias the member to release position.

5. A combination lock according to claim 4 in which:

(a) the locking member is provided with a tongue that is projected from one side of the housing when said member is locked,

(c) a resilient strike is mounted on the shelf and in the path of the tongue, when projected, when the door is moved toward the shelf edge to engage and lock with the keeper to hold the door against movement away from the shelf edge.

6. A combination lock according tto claim 4 including:

(a) a base member on which the lock is mounted,

(h) each of the dogs being provided with a resilient end portion directed to engage against said base member to bias the dogs to their initial positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,185 12/1897 Smith 70298 1,085,894 2/1914 Eagle 70298 1,251,559 1/1918 Morse et a1. 70298 2,772,555 12/1956 Smith 70287 3,087,765 4/1963 Chapman 70287 X (b) the housing having 'a mortise fit in a door adapted 20 JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

to be moved toward and from an edge of a shelf, the mentioned locking member and the tongue thereof being movable toward and from said shelf, and

ALBERT H. KAMPE, Examiner.

B. R. GAY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A COMBINATION LOCK, (A) A LOCKING MEMBER, (B) A BASE MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE SPACED BENEATH SAID MEMBER, AND (C) A COMPLEMENT OF NORMALLY RETRACTED LOCKING AND RELEASING DOGS INTERENGAGED WITH AND CONTROLLING MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER BETWEEN LOCKING AND RELEASING POSITIONS, FIG-01 (D) EACH DOG BEING INTEGRALLY PROVIDED WITH A RESILIENT END ENGAGED WITH SAID SURFACE AND BIASING SAID DOGS FROM PROJECTED TO RETRACTED POSITIONS. 